Deadly Easter suicide bombings targeting Christians in Sri Lanka were an attack on people of “all faiths”, according to EU Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini.

The EU Commission’s vice-president and ‘High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’ said the suspected Islamist terror blasts, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, were an attack on multi-religious societies, “freedom of religion and the choice to worship”.

“Easter Sunday is a special moment for Christians around the world,” Mogherini acknowledged in a statement, before declaring that the attacks — in which suicide bombers targeted hotels, a housing complex and three Roman Catholic churches — constituted “acts of violence against all beliefs and denominations”.

The government of Sri Lanka on Monday identified the local Islamist terror group, National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), as behind the blasts, which killed more than 320 people and injured around 500 more, while ISIS has claimed responsibility.

Authorities in the majority-Buddhist island nation, where Muslim and Christian minorities each constitute only a modest share of the population — at 10 per cent and eight per cent, respectively — have reportedly detained 40 suspects in connection to the attack, including a Syrian national.